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Following Edward Allan Faine’s “Ellington at the White House 1969,” “The Best Gig in Town” details the biggest jazz events held at the White
House during the Nixon administration. Nixon is not the first president that
would come to mind for making jazz a regular feature there, but he hosted several
significant events for this genre. Relatively moderate by today’s standards,
Nixon presented artists with political affiliations from both sides, always
seeking political gain. Because these events had to be planned as carefully as
possible, they are well-documented, allowing the author to tell about the lead-ups,
the unfolding, and the reaction that followed, sometimes lasting years, as in
the Ellington case.
“The Best Gig in Town” is a notable improvement from the previous book (my review can be found here); it maintains the same excellent level of research, with better storytelling. His interjections don’t take away from the chronicling of this history. Quoting newspaper reviews, he often adds parenthetical context; including transcriptions of what was said at the events, he adds references and visual cues of what happened.
The invited artists used the opportunity for protest only in very below-the-surface, hard-to-catch ways. The most surprising choice in this regard was 5th dimension, following New Orleans trumpeter Al Hirt’s set, including “Age of Aquarius.” The notable exception was the “Feraci incident,” with the “Oobie-Doobie girl” dropping a banner and calling out the President for perpetuating war. Often the events themselves were controversial, and Faine tells how the artists were chosen, as well as their careers leading up to their White House appearances.
Frank Sinatra is on the cover, perhaps because his way of getting to that stage was the most involved. His is a lengthier chapter, presenting the original recorded versions of the songs he is associated with, before the White House performance of each. Military bands or musicians frequently sat in with the headliners, but the longest-enduring jazz presences in Washington D.C. were Dr. Billy Taylor, and Pearl Bailey, a Republican, and an internationally touring ambassador of U.S. culture.
Faine’s time in the listening booth has paid off: he possesses an impressively wide knowledge of different instrumentalists and vocalists, making comparisons and describing the unique characteristics of the individuals at these performances. With a conversational and sometimes informal narration, this book flows well and is a fine history of some important moments in jazz.
“The Best Gig in Town” is a notable improvement from the previous book (my review can be found here); it maintains the same excellent level of research, with better storytelling. His interjections don’t take away from the chronicling of this history. Quoting newspaper reviews, he often adds parenthetical context; including transcriptions of what was said at the events, he adds references and visual cues of what happened.
The invited artists used the opportunity for protest only in very below-the-surface, hard-to-catch ways. The most surprising choice in this regard was 5th dimension, following New Orleans trumpeter Al Hirt’s set, including “Age of Aquarius.” The notable exception was the “Feraci incident,” with the “Oobie-Doobie girl” dropping a banner and calling out the President for perpetuating war. Often the events themselves were controversial, and Faine tells how the artists were chosen, as well as their careers leading up to their White House appearances.
Frank Sinatra is on the cover, perhaps because his way of getting to that stage was the most involved. His is a lengthier chapter, presenting the original recorded versions of the songs he is associated with, before the White House performance of each. Military bands or musicians frequently sat in with the headliners, but the longest-enduring jazz presences in Washington D.C. were Dr. Billy Taylor, and Pearl Bailey, a Republican, and an internationally touring ambassador of U.S. culture.
Faine’s time in the listening booth has paid off: he possesses an impressively wide knowledge of different instrumentalists and vocalists, making comparisons and describing the unique characteristics of the individuals at these performances. With a conversational and sometimes informal narration, this book flows well and is a fine history of some important moments in jazz.
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